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27 universities in the UK, Europe, Australia, the USA, China and the Gulf that charge Pakistani students no application fee or waive it, checked on official pages.
By the 47 Fellows team · Bachelor's · Master's · PhD · 6 min read ·
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Yes, plenty of good universities let Pakistani students apply for free. On 21 October 2026 we read the official admissions pages of more than 40 well-known universities and found 27 that charge nothing at some level, or waive the fee in cases Pakistani students can meet. The full list, with a filter by country and level, is on our universities with no application fee page. This article explains the patterns, so you can save money across a whole shortlist.
Application fees add up fast. Five UK taught master's at £75 to £90 each, or five Australian applications at AUD 150 each, cost £375 to £450 or AUD 750 before anyone has offered a place. Knowing which universities are free lets you spend that money on tests, attestation or the visa instead.
We sort every university into one of two groups, and the difference matters:
Many universities are both: free at one level and paid at another. Each entry on the list shows the levels separately.
If you are applying for a PhD, check this first. Several universities that charge for taught master's charge nothing for research degrees:
| University | Country | Free for | Fee for taught courses (as the page states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | UK | PhD, PG Cert, PG Dip | £90 (more in the Business School) |
| UCL | UK | Research degrees | £90 for most taught programmes |
| University of Warwick | UK | Research degrees | £75 |
| University of Melbourne | Australia | Graduate research | AUD 154 |
| UNSW Sydney | Australia | Postgraduate research | AUD 150 |
| Adelaide University | Australia | Research degrees | AUD 150 |
| University of Nottingham Ningbo China | China | Postgraduate research | Not stated on that page |
A free application does not change how hard PhD admission is. Most research degrees still expect you to contact a supervisor first; our email to a potential supervisor sample shows how.
UK undergraduate applications go through UCAS, so this section is about postgraduate study. On the day we checked:
One common mistake: Oxford's graduate fee waiver covers residents of a list of low-income countries, and Pakistan is not on that list. Do not count on it.
If you are applying with a full scholarship such as Chevening or Commonwealth, note that Warwick says it considers a fee waiver for taught-course applicants applying for a full scholarship, as long as you name it.
Some well-known names in Asia and the Gulf do charge. On the day we checked, KAIST charged USD 80, OIST JPY 5,000, Khalifa University AED 200 and HBKU QAR 250. The full "checked and charges" list is at the bottom of the list page.
An application fee is the first and smallest cost. Before you build a shortlist around free applications, add up tuition, the visa, health cover and living costs. Our cost calculator does this by country in PKR, and the paperwork planner lists the documents and attestation steps to plan for.
Two more things to keep in mind:
Open the list, filter by your level and country, and note which universities on your shortlist are free, which offer a waiver you qualify for, and which charge. Then check deadlines on our deadline calendar. If you find a university that should be on the list, send us its official page through our Contact page.
Free checklist
Everything you need for the UK government's Chevening Scholarship, from eligibility to the unconditional offer.
Free template pack
Emails for a PhD or MPhil supervision enquiry, a polite follow-up, asking a teacher for a reference letter, and saying thank you.
Questions about this guide? Ask here. The 47 Fellows team and other students answer, and everyone can read the replies.
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